Graduate Admissions
We invite you to meet faculty, staff, current students, alumni, and other members of the A-School community through virtual and in-person activities. Be sure to join our Contact List to receive invitations to special events curated specifically for you.
We encourage you to carefully read through the application instructions on this webpage and email us at a-school-admissions@virginia.edu with any questions you have about applying.
The admissions process at the University of Virginia School of Architecture is designed to build an extraordinary community of students who will thrive in a collegial and academically rigorous environment and go on to become responsible leaders, public servants, and successful members of their desired professions. To that end, we seek an entering class of forward thinking students who exemplify the qualities of resilience, integrity, empathy, diligence, maturity and the ability to engage across differences. At the most basic level, our goal is to understand each applicant as a person, and to evaluate the unique path that led them to apply to UVA. Our evaluation criteria are holistic and necessarily assess all components of the application.
We consider intellectual aptitude and academic achievement, as well as individual life experiences, obstacles overcome, contributions through service and leadership, a unique worldview, demonstrations of strength of character, the nature and quality of any work experience, military service, and an applicant’s potential to contribute to and succeed at the School of Architecture. Understanding each story will enable us to offer admission to students who will thrive and contribute to the experience of those around them. We are committed to welcoming, in the words of our University mission statement, “talented students from all walks of life,” and will continue to do our best to be a welcoming and inclusive community — one that values the unique gifts of our students and, above all, cares for them as individuals. We do not consider an applicant’s race, financial need or family history with UVA as part of the admissions decision.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
—The 2024 graduate application will open in early September 2023.
—GREs are suspended through the 2025 application cycle.
— We are currently not accepting graduate applications for Fall 2024 for the Master of Urban Design Program (1.5 year post-professional degree), including dual degree applicants.
HOW TO APPLY + APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
STEP 1:
Join our CONTACT LIST if you have not already done so. This provides the School of Architecture with contact information to remain in touch with you throughout the application process.
STEP 2:
If you are applying to either the Master of Architecture or Master of Landscape Architecture programs, refer to the DEGREE PATHS section of our Frequently Asked Questions to determine which degree path you may be eligible to apply to.
This step is not required for Master of Architectural History and Master of Urban + Environmental Planning applicants.
STEP 3:
Create an ONLINE APPLICATION.
NOTE: If you are applying to more than one program, you must create a distinct online application for each degree and submit all requirements for each application separately. Refer to our Frequently Asked Questions for additional details.
STEP 4:
COMPLETE ALL APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS DESCRIBED BELOW AND SUBMIT THESE AS PART OF THE ONLINE APPLICATION BY THE APPLICATION DEADLINE.
You can log in to your online application account as many times as needed to complete the requirements.
An $80 non-refundable application fee is required to apply; your application will not be reviewed until the payment is processed. Pay the application fee via credit card online, or contact the UVA Central Graduate Admission Office at garchadmission@virginia.edu or 434.243.0209 if you need assistance paying your deposit through another method.
NOTE: You may be exempt from paying the application fee if:
-
You meet the criteria to apply as a Direct Admit applicant.
-
You are a current graduate student at UVA School of Architecture applying for a second degree.
-
You are a Bonner Scholar or a Bonner Leader.
-
You meet UVA's eligibility criteria found at University of Virginia's Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs website.
The School of Architecture is unable to provide other application fee waivers.
2024 DEADLINE:
JANUARY 10
It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure all application materials are submitted by January 10 (11:59pm EST) for your application to move forward in the review process. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Return to your application checklist to confirm all required items are submitted.
NOTE: The application closes, and applications cannot be submitted after the application deadline.
Unofficial transcripts will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee and must be submitted as part of your application.
NOTES for applicants from international schools:
-
Transcripts not in English must be translated to English and include all courses, grades, degrees, and dates of degrees received.
-
Applicants must also submit an explanation of the grading scale used and the equivalent to a U.S. 4.0-scale.
-
Applicants are strongly encouraged to upload a NACES member course-by-course credential evaluation to satisfy the above requirements.
The School of Architecture values unique and diverse experiences. As such, your resume or curriculum vitae should highlight your past education, work experiences, honors and awards, key research and creative works (including exhibitions, competitions, collaborative projects, residencies, volunteer or community-based work), educational or work-related travel opportunities and leadership positions.
Required Essay
We invite you to learn about our mission and priorities, including our JEDI initiative, which commits us to recognizing and serving all people. How do you see yourself contributing to our mission and priorities, and how have your experiences helped you develop skills in navigating different viewpoints, backgrounds, and perspectives? (250-word limit)
Optional Essay 1
What about your individual background, perspective, or experience will serve as a source of strength for you or those around you at UVA? Feel free to write about any past experience or part of your background that has shaped your perspective and will be a source of strength, including but not limited to, those related to your community, upbringing, educational environment, race, gender, or other aspects of your background that are important to you. (250-word limit)
Optional Essay 2
If you have a personal or historic connection with UVA, and if you’d like to share how your experience of this connection has prepared you to contribute to the University, please share your thoughts in this optional essay. Such relationships might include, but are not limited to, being a child of someone who graduated from or works for UVA, a descendant of ancestors who labored at UVA, or a participant in UVA programs. (250-word limit)
STATEMENT OF INTENT:
The School of Architecture recognizes that each applicant’s pursuit of their desired program, and UVA School of Architecture, stems from their own unique interests. Use the academic statement of intent to describe your interest in the field to which you are applying and how UVA School of Architecture can distinctively help you reach your goals.
Your academic statement of intent will be evaluated on the strength of evidence you provide to support your interest in the professional field and UVA School of Architecture. Each academic statement of intent must be limited to 500 words.
MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE applicants
Describe why you are interested in architecture as a professional field and explain how UVA School of Architecture will help you meet your goals. Include any work, volunteer, or internship experiences that have prepared you for this field of study as well as your research interests and career aspirations.
MASTER OF ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY applicants
Briefly explain why you are interested in architectural history and how UVA’s School of Architecture will help you meet your academic and professional goals. In addition to describing your research interests and career aspirations, please include any academic research, volunteer, work, or internship experiences that have prepared you for graduate study.
MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE applicants
Describe why you are interested in landscape architecture as a professional field and how UVA School of Architecture will help you meet your goals. Include a description of contemporary situations, urban conditions and/or environmental issues you hope to influence through your research, analysis, planning and design as a landscape architect.
MASTER OF URBAN + ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING applicants
Describe why you are interested in planning as a professional field and explain how UVA School of Architecture will help you meet your goals. Include any work, volunteer, or internship experiences that have prepared you for this field of study as well as your research interests and career aspirations.
ESSAY: ACADEMIC INQUIRY
The School of Architecture values the unique perspectives of its students and their drive for academic inquiry. Share a significant passion through your response to your essay prompt.
NOTE: The academic inquiry essay is not required of applicants to the Master of Urban and Environmental Planning.
The response to your academic inquiry essay will be evaluated on the strength of how well you tie your interests to professional practice. Each academic inquiry essay must be limited to 250 words.
MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE applicants
Describe a work of architecture or an urban condition that you have observed in person and determined to be significant.
MASTER OF ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY applicants
Select a book that has been important for your developing interests in architectural history and discuss how this author’s insights have been significant for you.
MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE applicants (Path 2, 2.5, 3 applicants)
Describe a designed or vernacular landscape that you have visited and found significant. What did you learn from your first-hand experience? What about it affected you and why? The landscape you select can be a well-known designed landscape, or an ordinary and less recognized place.
MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE applicants (Path 2 ADV applicants)
Discuss the design and research topics you intend to explore as the focus of your studies at UVA. If known, you may list faculty members with whom you would like to study.
Academic and professional perspectives from other people who know you well are an important component of understanding your strengths, interests, abilities, interpersonal skills, and your vision for your future. Three (3) recommendations are required, at least 2 of which should be from former professors if you have received your undergraduate degree (or graduate if applicable) within the last five years. References from current or former employers are also encouraged.
References will be evaluated on how well your recommenders know you and how their assessment of you indicates the potential for success at UVA School of Architecture. Give careful consideration to the people that you ask to advocate for you through your recommendations. Diverse viewpoints from 3 different people are preferable to similar perspectives from your recommenders.
NOTES:
-
You can submit your application before your recommenders submit their recommendations. From your online application, select "RECOMMENDATIONS" on the left menu and follow the instructions provided.
-
Recommendation providers will receive an individual link via email with instructions about how to submit their references.
-
Recommendations are only accepted through the online application system. Contact the UVA Central Graduate Admission Office (garchadmission@virginia.edu) if your recommender has questions or needs assistance in submitting their recommendation online.
-
If you are applying to more than one program and wish to use the same recommendations for both applications, contact the UVA Central Graduate Admission Office (garchadmission@virginia.edu) for assistance.
-
Current UVA graduate students who are applying for a dual degree to the Master of Urban + Environmental Planning program need two references, one from a faculty member in the Urban + Environmental Planning department and one from a faculty member in your current department.
-
Recommenders are encouraged to submit their letters by the January 10, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST application deadline, but the School of Architecture will continue to accept letters of recommendation through January 17, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST. Recommendations submitted after January 17th will not be considered.
Test scores provide another lens through which applicants may exhibit the potential for successfully handling the rigors of graduate level work. Applicants self-report unofficial test scores on the application. Official test scores are required only of admitted applicants who accept an offer of admission from the School of Architecture. Offers of admission are not binding until official test scores are received and verified by the UVA Central Graduate Admission Office.
GRE SCORES:
The School of Architecture has suspended the GRE requirement through the 2025 admission cycle. Applicants will not report GRE scores on the application, nor will admitted students be required to submit official GRE scores.
TOEFL or IELTS SCORES (INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS ONLY):
All international applicants whose first or native language is not English are required to submit proof of language proficiency by submitting qualified TOEFL or IELTS scores, taken within two years of the application deadline. International applicants who have earned a 4-year bachelor's degree entirely from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction are not required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. You will note this exemption on your online application.
MINIMUM SCORES:
TOEFL: 250 (computer-based exam) or 90 (internet-based exam)
IELTS: 7.0 overall band score
Applications will not be considered without qualifying TOEFL or IELTS scores received by the application deadline.
The School of Architecture does not accept MyBest TOEFL scores.
DUOLINGO ENGLISH TEST SCORES + VIDEO INTERVIEW (INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS ONLY, Optional):
International applicants may also submit the Duolingo English Test, which combines an English proficiency test with a brief video interview. Duolingo's technology and format allows applicants to complete the test at any time or place, as long as they have Web access. The interview portion of this test is not scored, but the multiple-choice answer portion of the test is scored. The School of Architecture will consider the scores and interview portion in conjunction with TOEFL/IELTS scores, but the Duolingo results will not replace or substitute for TOEFL/IELTS scores.
Your portfolio demonstrates experience and exploration in the areas of design, craft, creative thinking and all forms of making. All MArch and MLA applicants are required to submit an electronic portfolio as part of the online application.
Applicants to the Master of Architectural History and Master of Urban + Environmental Planning programs do not submit portfolios unless they are interested in pursuing the Urban Design Certificate.
All admitted students are automatically considered for School of Architecture merit scholarships based on the strength of their applications, separate applications are not required. Interested applicants may also apply for the following scholarships through the graduate admission application. Please note that independent scholarship committees select recipients solely based on the applicant's essay response. The committees do not have access to biographic information or any other application materials:
DIVERSITY, EQUITY and INCLUSION SCHOLARSHIPS:
The Edward Wayne Barnett and Audrey Spencer-Horsley Diversity, Equity + Inclusion (DEI) Scholarships support the School of Architecture’s commitment to expanding access to education and professional development. Mr. Barnett and Ms. Spencer-Horsley, for whom our DEI scholarships are named, overcame adversities and made path-breaking contributions to the School of Architecture, the University of Virginia, their professions, and their communities. Further details about the careers and achievements of Mr. Barnett and Ms. Spencer-Horsley are available here.
Applicants should consider the resonances of Mr. Barnett or Ms. Spencer-Horsley's legacy and students may apply for one of our DEI scholarships by responding to the following essay question in their graduate application:
How would your lived experiences, interests, and aspirations continue these transformative legacies and contribute to building more equitable and inclusive futures in and beyond the School of Architecture? (250 word limit)
HISTORIC PRESERVATION CERTIFICATE SCHOLARSHIPS:
Applicants who are interested in pursuing the Historic Preservation Certificate (HPC) may be eligible for funding to support their studies in historic preservation. Applicants may apply for one of our HPC scholarships by responding to the following essay question in the graduate application:
Discuss your individual goals and objectives for your study of historic preservation as they relate to one of the themes listed below (250 word limit):
-
Heritage theory and practice as it relates to your chosen discipline
-
World Heritage Studies
-
Comparative approaches to heritage studies
-
Critical Heritage Studies
-
Heritage themes related to Thomas Jefferson, UVA Grounds, or Virginia
-
Digital heritage and representation
All UVA School of Architecture undergraduate students who complete their degree in good academic standing are invited to continue their graduate education at the UVA School of Architecture with guaranteed admission based on:
+ 3.3 cumulative GPA or higher following a student’s 7th semester.
+ 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher in design studios following a student’s 7th semester for students applying to graduate programs in architecture or landscape architecture.
+ Eligible students are guaranteed admission up to two years following their undergraduate graduation from the UVA School of Architecture.
The application fee and recommendations are waived for all eligible Direct Admit applicants, although applicants are welcome to submit recommendations if they wish.
In addition to all other components of the application, Direct Admit applicants to the Master of Architectural History must provide a writing sample that best reflects your experience with research and writing in architectural history. This could be a seminar paper, a research project, or a portion of your undergraduate thesis (maximum 15-page submission, including text, illustrations, bibliography, etc.).
Current and former UVA School of Architecture students who believe they are eligible to apply as Direct Admit applicants must upload to the graduate application proof of Direct Admit eligibility obtained from Tashana Starks, Director of Advising + Academic Support (tdp2m@virginia.edu).